Rajesh Khanna (right) with Amitabh Bachchan in "Anand".

Actor Rajesh Khanna, who brought the concept of superstardom in Bollywood in 1960s and '70s, died in Mumbai yesterday.
The 69-year-old actor, who shot to stardom with the 1969 hit “Aradhana”, opposite Sharmila Tagore, breathed his last at his home, two days after being discharged from Lilawati hospital. He had been ailing since April.
Essentially a romantic hero, Khanna essayed a variety of roles with ease in his illustrious career spanning four decades. His portrayal as a cancer patient in Hrishikesh Mukherjee-film “Anand” (1971), in which he got the better of Amitabh Bachchan, left many in tears.
Nicknamed “Kaka” by his adoring fans, he is survived by estranged actress wife Dimple Kapadia and daughters Twinkle and Rinkie and son-in-law and actor Akshay Kumar.
Khanna's family as also Lilawati Hospital authorities were tight-lipped about the nature of the actor's illness.
“We cannot tell you about the nature of Khanna's illness....Please get in touch with his family,” a spokesman for Lilawati who identified himself only as Dr. Trivedi said.
Vijay, a close friend of Khanna who had been interacting with the media since his illness, said, “Kaka's food intake had gone down over the last few days, making him very weak.”
The news of Khanna's death this afternoon spread like wildfire and hundreds of fans descended at his bungalow “Ashirwad” in Bandra.
“My father-in-law is no more. He has gone to a nice and heavenly place. I am happy that he has gone there and hope that everyone will pray for him,” Akshay Kumar told reporters.
Several Bollywood celebrities, including actor Rishi Kapoor, visited Khanna's house to pay homage to the actor.
The veteran actor, who lived a secluded life of late, recently appeared for a film advertisement of a well-known brand of fan, his faces and eyes sunken. His fans were shocked to see him a pale shadow of his former self.
During his illustrious career Khanna gave 15 consecutive superhits between 1969 and 1972, including “Aradhana”, “Haathi Mere Saathi”, “Anand” and “Amar Prem”.
Debuting with “Akhri Khat” which he bagged after winning a talent contest in 1965, Khanna went on to star in over 180 films.
He carved a niche for himself in Bollywood, dominated in those days by the troika of Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor, and the likes of Shammi Kapoor and Rajendra Kumar.
However, it was “Aradhana” in 1969 opposite Sharmila that catapulted him to superstardom overnight.
His disarming smile and twinkling eyes made him the darling of millions, particularly female fans.
Khanna won three Filmfare Best Actor Awards and was nominated for it 14 times. He was awarded the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.
After 1978, Khanna starred in critically acclaimed films such as “Amado”, “Phir Wohi Raat”, “Dard”, “Dhanwan”, “Avtaar” and “Agar Tum Na Hote”.
If Khanna's rise to fame was meteoric, so was his fall from stardom. By late '80s his charm at the box office had waned but it did not affect his personal charisma. He held a Lok Sabha seat from New Delhi constituency as a Congressman from 1992 to 1996.
The actor, who married Dimple Kapadia, 15 years younger than him, in 1973, split with her in 1984 but the couple never divorced. Kapadia was constantly at Khanna's side during his illness.